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The Process of a Logo Redesign

If designing a logo consists of a million tiny decisions, redesigning a logo is double that. For every single element, you have to decide if you’ll change it or stick with tradition.

Donna, the owner of my day spa client Spaah, wanted to refresh its logo and branding. Not only is design a passion for me, but through years of working with Spaah, I’ve developed a deep knowledge of the brand. My goal was to create a friendly and professional logo that echoed the old one but delivered the update my client was looking for.

Before and After

Colors. The color of the new logo reflects that of the old. It’s more muted to convey relaxation but still vibrant to convey energy. As for the rest of the color palette, the darker blues (see image below) are in the same family as the main turquoise, for harmony, and are used for design accents. The dark brown is less harsh than black for main copy, both online and in printed materials.

Shape. The circle is not only a holistic symbol for a spa but also serves to offset the clever “ah” in the name for emphasis and visual interest.

*Side Note: Please support designers’ work by following their terms and licensing fonts for commercial use when specified!

Font. Combing through Dafont.com, a great resource for fonts, I chose two that were not too thin and not too heavy. The sans-serif font used for “Spa” includes oval shapes that complement the circle used in the logo. The “ah” font, though a script font, is very readable, not too feminine, and captures the relaxation of the spa experience.

I had proposed an all lowercase logo for even more approachability, but the owner felt that the first letter being shorter than the last letter looked imbalanced. I saw her point, capitalized the S. Logo design is a give and take!

Alignment. Alignment is a key design principle that can enhance visual appeal and subconsciously create a calmer viewing experience. After choosing the fonts, which already matched up very well, I perfected the alignment of the circle and letters with subtle editing.

Gender. While the vast majority of Spaah’s customers are women (88% of its Facebook fans are), I didn’t want to alienate the small base of male customers. Hence, the logo is neither feminine nor masculine.

Trend. While gradients and shine were all the rage in the Web 2.0 phase, today’s logos seem to be flattening and simplifying. It’s more important for a logo to reflect the brand than be trendy, but in Spaah’s case, the flat color gives a cleaner, more professional look.

Technical considerations. I recommended dropping the exclamation point from Spaah’s name. It had made grammar look strange, such as “Try one of Spaah!’s new facials!” Also, the change had a very important advantage in today’s digital world. Facebook and Google ads – key aspects of Spaah’s marketing – classified the previous spelling as “improper punctuation,” forcing me to leave out the exclamation point out anyway.

Dropping the exclamation point was the most difficult and momentous decision in the redesign process. Though the move lost the excitement of the prior spelling, which reflected Donna’s passion for her business, even a customer noted the new logo “looks more relaxing,” which is well-suited for a spa.

Outcome. After a few iterations, Donna was very happy with the redesign, and Spaah’s fans loved it, too!